


Suke Suki

by HapaxLegomenon



Series: The Adventures of Sousuke and The Beetle [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Challenge: Sports Anime Shipping Olympics | SASO 2015, Gen, Pets, Pyunsuke is adorable, Sousuke is embarrassing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-03 09:19:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4095472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HapaxLegomenon/pseuds/HapaxLegomenon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sousuke had taken the stag beetle from Momo, it was with all intentions of releasing the little guy in the bushy area behind his home.</p><p>No matter what Rin said later, he definitely, absolutely, meant to let it go.</p><p>Edit and re-post from SASO2015 BR1</p>
            </blockquote>





	Suke Suki

**Author's Note:**

> Edited slightly and re-posted from an entry written for the SASO2015 Bonus Round 1.
> 
> Prompt: “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France  
> with  
> 

When Sousuke had taken the stag beetle from Momo, it was with all intentions of releasing the little guy in the bushy area behind his home.

No matter what Rin said later, he definitely, absolutely, meant to let it go.

No, really. 

Except, as he realized on the train ride home, Pyunsuke had a secret weapon – he was just too cute.  His mandibles and antlers were big and strong and his carapace was shiny obsidian black, and whenever Sousuke looked into the jar he’d swear that Pyunsuke made eye contact with him as he wiggled his little antennae.  Adorable.  Sousuke kept catching himself grinning at the stupid little thing, which he’d correct with a huff and a shuffle until a few minutes later he’d be smiling at the jar in his lap again.

They arrived at the station surprisingly quickly, and Sousuke realized with some embarrassment that he’d spent nearly the entire journey watching the beetle flicking his wings and exploring his tiny enclosure over and over and over.

“Gotta get you a bigger jar,” Sousuke muttered absent-mindedly, followed by a more deliberate “Shit.”

Still, at that point, he’d fully intended to release Pyunsuke that evening.  After supper, probably, since stag beetles were supposed to be nocturnal – though this one seemed remarkably active for the middle of the day, very engaged in his surroundings and watching Sousuke through the glass of his jar home.  Pyunsuke appeared to have seen him looking in again and waved one segmented leg.  Sousuke had to fight the urge to wave back. 

Okay, so Momo might have had a point.  He really was a very nice beetle.  But that didn’t mean he could be kept in a jar his whole life.  That would be cruel.  So he needed to let little Pyunsuke go.  It would be the best thing for him.  Right.

He tightened his grip around the jar and nodded once, firmly, resolved, then set off from the station towards his home.

“What do you have there?” his mother asked after the rounds of obligatory hugging.  Sousuke just shrugged, mumbling something about doing a favour for a friend, and had gone to put Pyunsuke by the window in his bedroom while the family ate.  He placed the jar gently on the windowsill so Pyunsuke could catch the last fading rays of sun and look out on the Eden that awaited him.  Sousuke thought that, if he were a stag beetle in a jar, he’d want to have a nice view, at the very least.

Then he thought about punching himself because he was relating to a stag beetle in a jar.

He’d clearly been spending too much time around Momotarou.  Yep, that was it.  Absolutely.

Sousuke managed to convince himself that the Momo-induced beetle-affection would wear off while he ate his supper and talked with his family.  Clearly he needed to distance himself from Pyunsuke or he’d never be able to let him go and wouldn’t that be embarrassing.

That really was a scary thought.

“Shit,” he said again later, more emphatically this time, when, sure enough, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.  He was standing in the back garden, jar-and-beetle in one hand and the lid in the other, staring down at the most magnificent stag beetle the world had ever seen.  Pyunsuke looked back at him and flicked his wings before hunkering down into his grassy bed.

“Just dump it out, Sousuke.  Just do it.  This is stupid.  Just put the jar down and go back inside.”

Right.  He could just put the jar down and the beetle would crawl out on his own.  No need to get too involved.  Pyunsuke was surely a smart stag beetle; he could decide where to go once he left his jar on his own.  He didn’t need Sousuke to choose the place for him.

Well. Sousuke could choose a little. 

He found a nice little hollow at the roots of a tree, surrounded by soft earth and decaying twigs, and crouched down to place the jar gently on its side.

“Bye,” he muttered, feeling both melancholy and incredibly foolish.  Pyunsuke waved his antennae again.

Later that night, Sousuke couldn’t manage to fall asleep.  He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering if Pyunsuke would find a safe place to spend the night.  He was in unfamiliar territory, after all, what if a cat got him or, or an owl, or something?  It wasn’t safe to be a bug.  Pyunsuke could probably defend himself fairly well, with his big antlers, but he was such a gentle beetle, Sousuke didn’t know if he had it in him to fight off a bigger animal.

Then he realized that it was two in the morning and he’d been too worried about a stupid beetle to fall asleep.

“Fuck this.”

He swung himself out of bed, grabbed his cell phone and a pair of shoes, and slipped out of the house to the garden.  Using his phone to light the way, he picked his way over to the tree where he’d left Pyunsuke, hours earlier, just to check.  The dim light glinted off the curvature of the jar.  Sousuke crouched to peek inside.

Pyunsuke clacked his jaws.  Sousuke let slip a relieved “Thank god” before he could stop himself.

“C’mon, buddy.  We’re going inside.”  When he reached for the jar, Pyunsuke ventured over the lip to crawl onto Sousuke’s hand, where he squatted with a definite air of contentment.  Sousuke couldn’t help but feel flattered.

He slept much better for the rest of the night, knowing Pyunsuke was safe on the windowsill. 

In the morning, he managed to scrounge up an old terrarium that once had held tadpoles but currently housed an impressive coating of dust.  So he washed it off, scrubbed the glass inside and out, and filled it with grass and dirt and rocks and sticks from the nearby forest.  It took the better part of the morning to bring the terrarium up to an acceptable state, and Rin would undoubtedly laugh himself silly when he heard, but he was proud of his handiwork.  If he were a beetle in a jar, this terrarium would be an excellent upgrade.  Pyunsuke seemed to agree, when Sousuke transferred him gently into his new home.

“Is this part of the favour?” his father asked, deeply amused.  Sousuke grunted, letting him draw his own conclusions, and continued watching Pyunsuke explore, mentally noting what things Pyunsuke seemed to like and what he didn’t.  For the rest of the day, and most of the rest of the break, he pored over internet articles and library books and a few embarrassing texts to Momo to find out the proper way to care for a stag beetle.  He wanted Pyunsuke to have a good life, after all.

Pyunsuke sat on his lap all the way back to Samezuka, too.  They got back before Rin did, so Sousuke was able to get Pyunsuke’s new home all set up beside their window without interference. 

“Yo,” came Rin’s voice from the door, just as Sousuke had gotten everything arranged the way he wanted it, and he straightened up to return the greeting.

“Hey.  How was Australia?”

“Really awesome!  We went swimming at the – what is that?”

“Nothing.”

“Is that –”

“No.”

“Oh my god!”

“Rin –”

“ _You kept Momo’s beetle!?_ ”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe this is my first official Free! fic. About Sousuke. And a beetle. What is this.  
> That said this was a super-fun prompt and just know that if I ever write another Free! fic, in that universe Pyunsuke is still living happily with Sousuke.
> 
> The title is absolutely shameless pedal/pun trash but I will not apologize.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Talk fandom to me on Twitter at [@paxlegomenon](https://twitter.com/paxlegomenon).
> 
> Edit: Now with a shamelessly ridiculous short sequel, which can be read (with context) [HERE](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/4403.html?thread=1499699#cmt1499699).


End file.
